Snow leopards from Marwell rescue snowed-in Laura’s 40th birthday

A once-in-a-lifetime 40th birthday treat turned into a snowy disappointment for a woman in Scotland until Marwell – 500 miles away – stepped in with a heart-warming solution.

Laura Jackson, a teacher from Aberdeenshire, had been given a special snow leopard experience at Highland Wildlife Park to mark her milestone birthday.

But ironically Laura had to cancel her encounter with one of the world’s most elusive and aptly named big cat – because she was snowed in!

A friend was determined Laura’s birthday wouldn’t be a wash out and contacted us because we have two snow leopards here at Marwell – Warjun and Zaya.

We jumped at the chance to help and via the medium of video call, Laura was taken behind the scenes and came virtually face-to-face with the snowy pair. She watched as their keepers played with them and fed them, and was able to ask questions, and hear first-hand about their care, behaviour, and conservation.

Laura said: “I’d been really looking forward to the experience at Highland Wildlife Park. I love animals and turning 40 felt like the perfect excuse to do something unforgettable.

“So I was so disappointed when I had to cancel my treat. But with Marwell’s kind help, my birthday ended up being one I’ll never forget.

“The kind keepers went out of their way to make the experience so special. I saw them feed the snow leopards and they put the camera up close so I could see their eyes and paws in detail. They even held the food up high so that they jumped and I could see their bellies. It was absolutely fantastic!

“Afterwards Marwell sent me the video and I keep replaying it! I really can’t thank Marwell enough.”

Laura Read CEO of Marwell said: “When we heard about Laura’s big birthday plans being cancelled, we were determined to see what we could do. We love connecting people with nature and even though Laura was hundreds of miles away, that wasn’t going to stop us!

“Our snow leopards are such majestic animals and they really played up to the camera – I think they enjoyed it as much as Laura. We were so glad to be able to help make her 40th birthday special.”

If you’d like to get closer to our snow leopards here at Marwell Zoo, you can book your exclusive Snow Leopard Experience online (age 18+), which includes a 45 minute experience with our snow leopards, with day entry to the zoo and lunch included.